Lawrence Athenaeum & Mining Institute History
Current Athenaeum Committee
Chairman: Roger Cotton
Treasurer: Kelley Gray
Secretary: Rowena Paterson
Librarian: Lindy Chinnery
Committee:
Dorothy Coburn
Mary Keenan
Doug Gorman
Mark Chapman
150 Years of History
The gold rush of 1861 saw an influx of people into Tuapeka—by July 1862 there were 11,472 inhabitants! But by 1865 the rush was over, and the first wave of itinerant miners had moved on.
Although the community developed a settled, permanent atmosphere, it retained much of the life and vitality of the diggings. “People began to seek less material satisfactions and were surprisingly articulate and determined in their efforts to do so. The Athenaeum and Mining Institute was one of the first results and the most permanent.”
The Lawrence Athenaeum and Mining Institute was officially founded in June 1865. Its objective was “the dissemination of useful knowledge” and “sought to provide for the scientific and intellectual advancement of the miners and the community generally.” It also had a public library, a mining and geological museum, a reading room, lectures and classes, and recreational clubs. William Tolcher, one of the founders, pointed out that “educated miners could expedite solutions to day-to-day problems on the goldfields”, and it was to the Athenaeum and Mining Institute committee that the people of Lawrence entrusted the cultural, intellectual and social well-being of the community.
The Athenaeum has undergone changes over 150 years, i.e., days and times of opening, subscription costs and facilities. Most recently it has undergone internal refurbishment and now houses a local textile artist’s retail and studio premises; however the spirit of the first Athenaeum remains, with a reading room with historical books, papers and ledgers, many goldfields references, and a vibrant atmosphere. The present committee is committed to adding to the Athenaeum collection by purchasing rare historical books and documents about the Tuapeka area.
Information for this history has been taken from the 1973 Master of Arts thesis by Robin Marks, entitled “The Lawrence Athenaeum and Miners’ Institute: A fragment of goldfields history.” This thesis can be found in the Athenaeum Reference Library.
— Rowena Paterson, Secretary